1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power divider/combiners, and, more particularly, to an n-way power divider/combiner, particularly useful where n.noteq.2.sup.x, having zero reflection coefficients at the input for equal output loads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Power dividers or combiners are networks which either divide power applied to a single input among n outputs, or conversely, combine power applied to n inputs to a single output. The principles applicable to power dividers are equally applicable to power combiners, and, consequently, such circuits will herein be referred to simply as power dividers/combiners.
Power dividers/combiners are used in many varied environments, for example, in optical environments as well as in many electrical uses. For example, in electrical uses, they can be used in waveguide, stripline or discrete component forms, or generally whenever power is desired to be divided or combined. The invention herein is generally applicable to all power divider/combiner uses, but is disclosed and described herein specifically with respect to stripline or microwave technology.
In the microwave technology environment, dividers are ordinarily constructed with power couplers of stripline material formed on a printed circuit board. Such couplers ordinarily produce a power division into two components, and are generally referred to as "hybrid" couplers.
As is well known, the efficient operation of electrical circuits is dependent upon minimizing the reflected power at the input and output ports of the circuit. One external factor influencing such reflected power is the matching of the load at the output to the circuit. Additionally, because of the power division or combination produced by power divider/combiner circuits, reflections generated by the output loads do not inherently cancel when a division number or combination number of ports of the circuit is not equal to 2.sup.x. Also, in certain circuits, such as in some particular circuits in which the number of ports are equal to 2.sup.x, the reflection coefficients inherently cancel, and, therefore, are of no concern. In other circuits, on the other hand, in which the division or combination number is not an exponent of two, or reflection coefficients are otherwise a problem, the reflected power-waves at the input heretofore have largely been ignored as being difficult or impossible to eliminate.